2022 Emil Sodersten Award for Interior Architecture

Jury citation

From the moment visitors arrive at the BVN Brisbane Studio, they become participants in a different way of working and being. Leaving the lift, one is embraced by the library, filled with knowledge and images that inspire the people within. Through the open shelves, the heart of the office is visible – a gathering space for the staff adjacent to the semi-enclosed verandah beneath the giant fig trees in the street. Visually and viscerally connected to place, the design caresses our senses and encourages a more nature-centred approach to life.

The office is fitted out to enable transparent, flexible and collaborative ways of working. Appropriate technology, along with both open-plan and more intimate spaces, provide multiple ways of working. Materials and furniture are selected to both nurture and inspire people, so that they can create equally beautiful spaces for their clients.

This experimental approach to the inside of a standard office building, stemming from the practice’s vision for the future of architecture, clearly demonstrates the benefits of different ways of being in the world, especially in an inner-city urban work environment.

Project credits

Architect BVN; Project team Brian Donovan, Kevin O’Brien, Glen Millar, Michelle Rehn, Danika Nixon; Builder FDC Construction and Fitout; Project manager Acuity Project Management; Mechanical, electrical and hydraulic engineer LCI Consultants; Acoustic consultant Stantec; Certifier Knisco; Landscape consultant Steven Clegg Design;

BVN Brisbane Studio is in Brisbane, Queensland on the land of the Turrbal and Yuggera peoples.